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Phoenix • The former head of the Arizona Board of Executive Clemency voted to consider commuting the sentence of NBA player Amare Stoudemire's half brother after developing a personal relationship with the New York Knicks player, records released by the board show.
Jesse Hernandez resigned last week after an internal investigation concluded he repeatedly committed inappropriate behavior toward employees and also promoted a woman he was dating.
The investigation report released Wednesday by the state Department of Administration also shows Hernandez bragged of being befriended by Stoudemire and receiving game tickets from him. The report included a picture of the two that was posted by Stoudemire on a Twitter feed.
Records released Friday by the clemency board show Hernandez voted to move ahead with considering cutting Marwan Williams' 9-year sentence a week after the investigation report was completed and forwarded to Gov. Jan Brewer's office. Two other board members voted against the action and Williams will have to wait two years before applying for commutation again.
Williams was sentenced in 2009 to 9½ years for his role in a botched armed robbery that resulted in the death of a suspected drug dealer.
Gov. Jan Brewer's spokesman says it reviewed the report as quickly as possible before meeting with Hernandez.
"During that meeting, he resigned, and the governor welcomed his resignation," Brewer spokesman Andrew Wilder said in a statement. "The facts revealed in the investigation regarding the Williams case are troubling. Board members should not establish personal relationships with individuals who have interests in front of the Board."